Nassau adding facial recognition and LPR capabilities to CCTV program

Bahamian ICT solution provider Proficient Business Services has been selected to deploy a $5.9M expansion of the CCTV surveillance program in Nassau, Bahamas.

Eyewitness News reports that of the 507 new cameras, 100 will come equipped with license plate recognition, 100 with facial recognition capabilities and 120 with pan tilt zone capabilities to capture evidential information in real time.

Minister of National Security Marvin Dames said when the government came to office in 2017, 193 of 243 cameras installed were not working and that the system was plagued with inadequate bandwidth issues that impeded law enforcement ability to capture reliable footage. Bandwidth issues have been rectified after getting local and international stakeholders involved and that the system is well on its way toward optimum efficiency.

“CCTV footage continues to help law enforcement officials determine critical information from crime scenes including the exact time of incidents, the exact location of the incident, the number of suspects, weapon types, and suspect vehicle types,” said Dames in remarks about the 2019/2020 budget debate.

The City of Perth in Australia recently launched a 12-month trial of facial recognition technology on 30 cameras from its CCTV network. Only three of the cameras will be able to use the software at once, and it will be activated only at the request of law enforcement agencies.